For Norwegian fashion designer Kristofer Kongshaug sustainability means trouble, it means boring basics… and that’s exactly what he is hoping to change with his label.
“I think it is important, and that we all have some kind of responsibility. But it’s not my main focus. When we use sustainable fabrics, it’s usually a choice done with respect to the fabric style and not necessary because it’s a sustainable material.” Read more…
Fashion by *magdalena schaffrin, Photo: Jan Rasmus Voss
For Berlin-based fashion designer Magdalena Schaffrin sustainability means making a difference.
“Working in the way I do, I make a bigger difference than as a consumer. Creating sustainable fashion shows people the normality of sustainability and the feel good factor of ecofashion.”
She claims that modern luxury is about time, quality and conscience. Today, our way of living and consuming is mostly characterised by the loss of time and cheap prizes. Satisfying these claims, the damage done to the environment and people is huge. In the textile industry a lot of toxic chemicals are used in the production of fabrics and clothes, which are dangerous for the workers and sometimes still harmful to the body of the wearer. Read more…
fashion by Friederike von Wedel, Photo: Özgür Albayrak Model: Anne Meister Makeup: Christina Roth Styling: Allessandra Coico
Asked what sustainability means for her as a fashion designer, Friederike von Wedel-Parlow says: “struggle and pleasure. Working with nature’s limits is a great challenge. New impulses and solutions are teased out by sustainability restrictions, by skrutinizing values, rules and goals of the fashion sector.” Read more…
fashion by Esther Perbandt, Photo: Sebastian Stottele, Model: Madlen Wilk / Seeds, Make-up/Styling: Konstanze Krischer
“As a consumer I am not pressurising myself. I know that sometimes I am a devil and that I could do better. Still I try to be aware and choose rather sustainable products. I wish that one day there will be no more price difference between sustainable and non sustainabl products.”
Fashion designer Esther Perbandt from Berlin knows: Sustainability is a big subject and the new trend at the moment. “I don’t like that at all. But the way I approached it may help others as well to do little steps. Sustainability for me doesn’t mean to change your complete lifestyle. It is about starting to think different and be aware and just try to do better. And if it is only that you decide to reduce the time of taking a shower from ten to seven minutes. Imagine how much water you save in one year. I can totally identify with the feeling of awkwardness you may have when you actually want to change something.” Read more…
Fashion by Kristofer Kongshaug
How and why do I engage in aspects of sustainability in my fashion design?
For KK, design and fabrics are the most important things to establish an expression, whether the materials are sustainable or not. After reading and learning more about this GREEN part of the industry, we started looking at what materials we already were using and discovered that we had for long time been using both biodegradable fabrics, organic cottons and several new sustainable fibers in our garments. This without really having a green agenda. Read more…
